Feeling overwhelmed

[em29]

Well, I am sure I am not the only one but I had a visit from the development worker a weeks or so ago and She has been really helpful but I am feeling overwhelmed with the amount of tweeking I have to do on policies and risk assessments etc I have loads of odds and ends to do, like a toy cleaning rota, healthy snacks list, review and extend all risk assessments etc.
Trouble is, other people have said it is fine and yet she has picked up on stuff. I still have to do my SEF and am doing lots of obs and learning journey book stuff as well and I am having trouble figuring out where to start!

I guess this is a pointless post but just needed to get it all out and try and figure out where to start tackling it all from. I have just been to the shop and bought new folders and labels and printer ink. Just need the inspiration now but definitely feel like I am fighting a losing battle...I do it one way and someone suggests I do it another way or something else 'new' and 'recommended' crops up. :(

[Pipsqueak]

Thing is - the DW has suggested some things - they may be good suggestions but that is all it is - suggestions.

What you could do is make a list of what you think you consider the good suggestions and work your way through them at your leisure.

don't stress about any of it - if you are happy with what you are doing then fine

[Goatgirl]

I agree with pipsqueak: Its your business, not you DW's.

She can make suggestions but its up to you what you want to change. If anything.
Anything that you agree is urgent, such as EYFS requirements not being met: tackle that head on. Then take your time making a list of what you want to do and work through it as and when.

Hope you can find a way to step back and relax about it :)

bws,
Wendy

[sarah707]

Please don't let it get on top of you.

Like the others say it's just someone's advice. We can't possibly all tick all the boxes we'd be exhausted.

Make a list and work through it steadily, prioritising what you haven't done first.

Good luck with it all :D

[Stillgoingstrong]

I have been feeling exactly the same lately - every time I start to feel organised someone says something or something gets changed or someone puts a post on that suggests I have missed a million things. I dont have a dw so at least they cant stick their oar in as I think I might just be more than a little short with them. All I want to do is look after children and all I seem to be doing is spending hours shuffling paper, worrying about journals etc and realising that to do everything that everyone says I should I would need to work 24/7:eek:

[angiemog]

Do what works best for you. I know I do my learrning journeys/journals different to others but mine work for me and I find them easy to do plus they are straight forward. I would ask a qu on here...... lots of people will answer then go with what seems best for you.
If you and others have said your paperwork is fine then leave it, move onto something else and then go back and tweek when you have more time.
Concentrate on the essentials, like risk assessments, policies.......
I feel as long as you can show that you are working on obs, learning journeys, rotas........ then Ofsted will be fine. They don't expect everything to be done and upto date as l,ong as they can see you are making an effort.]
I found doing my SEF really helpful as it made me see where the gaps were in my setting and what I needed to do. I then made a list of these and worked through it ie in one part I put in my SEF (working in partnership with parents) that I want to do parent questionaires when oftsed came she asked if I had done one luckily I had. :D
This is hard work but try not to make it too hard for yourself concentrate on the important bits...... Good Luck x

[em29]

Ah thank you everyone, I think prioritising is the bast thing I can do. Some things are very minor and others will take a bit more time. I will then crack on with the SEF to find out where I have missed things. Hopefully I will be kinds on top of it all by end of september. Half the battle is getting the time to sit down and concentrate! Thanks all x:)

[blue bear]

Make sure you do the must and shoulds from the EYFS, definetly start the sef, it is really usefull, especially once it's up and running.

DW's can sometimes come accross as telling you what to do when in fact they are just sharing good practice they have seen and think it may be useful to you. You need to work out what will work for your business, that is the beauty of childminding, we all come at it from different angles, it gives parents choices.

I have a 'wish' list of things I would like to implement some time in the future, my Ofsted inspector said that showed my intention of personal development.

Do what is necessary and then think about what you would like to introduce off your wish list and when, doesn't seem so much that way somehow.